


Teary Edge

by alcxandriawrites



Category: Dynasty Warriors, Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: F/M, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Sibling Rivalry, Slow Burn, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:47:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27093781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alcxandriawrites/pseuds/alcxandriawrites
Summary: War tore Jiang Lihua's family apart and she swore to never be a part of it again. That is until she receives a plea for help from an unlikely place.
Relationships: Jiang Wei/Original Female Character, Sima Shi/Original Female Character
Kudos: 1





	1. HIDE EMOTION

“Is your brother okay?”

Jiang Lihua sighed, rubbing her temple. If only she knew, or cared for that matter. She wanted to reassure her mother that, yes, Jiang Wei was healthy and alive and may be coming home to visit soon. But Lihua hadn’t bothered to keep up with him or his foolishness. She decided to keep her gaze out the open window, her heart-shaped face bathed in the ethereal glow of the moon. “We can only hope,” she whispered.

If she was to be honest with herself, Lihua hadn’t thought much about her older brother since she left. All his presence caused her was anxiety and frustration. Lihua decided it was best for her to step away, physically and mentally. Besides, her mother was the more important figure in her life. A woman in poor physical health and shoddy memory – that Lihua preferred to take care of rather than a grown man with delusions of a future that will never come.

Lihua raised herself from her seat, turning to face her mother who lay in her bed. The decorative white sheets were pulled up to her chest, which rose and fell steadily with each breath. She looked up at her daughter, eyes shone with unshed tears. Lihua rested a comforting hand on her mother’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’s okay,” she assured the older woman. “I can ask about him in the morning, if you would like?”

Her mother nodded her head. “Would you?”

“Of course. Please, sleep.” Lihua waited until the other woman’s breathing deepened before stepping away. She watched her for a moment before turning and leaving the room. A handmaiden was standing outside, waiting for her. “Set out clothes for her to wear tomorrow. The sun may be out again and she’ll want to take a walk.”

The handmaiden bowed her head. “I will. Sleep well, my lady.”

“Thank you. I wish you a peaceful sleep as well.”

-|-

As Jiang Lihua had hoped, her mother did not recall inquiring about her oldest child. In fact, she seemed quite chipper. After their morning meal, she insisted on taking a walk with her daughter.

The morning sun gradually made its trek across the sky as the two women strolled down a path lined with weeping willows. At times, Lihua would forget how much her mother could remember despite not being able to recall things she would have said a short time ago. Lihua smiled as her mother reminisced about the days when her children were young. Lihua didn’t have a lot of memories from when she was a child, but there were a few prominent ones.

When Jiang Wei was ten years of age while Lihua was seven, they would often try to mimic battles that their father often told them about. The two siblings would find sticks and twigs and shape them into makeshift swords and pretend they were great warriors fighting to the death. Then one day, Lihua remembered, her older brother got a bit too enthusiastic. He brought his wooden sword down, and Lihua had leaned back to avoid it, only to have the particularly sharp end of his sword drag down the side of her face. Not too long after that, chaos ensued. Lihua had begun crying and screaming in pain, her brother was dragged back inside by their mother, and her father had come to clean up the wound, blood covering a good portion of her face. She still had the lengthy scar, right at the corner of her right eyebrow down to the center of her cheek. A constant, painful reminder of Jiang Wei.

Suddenly her mother stumbled, Lihua holding on to her arm tighter, watching the older woman with wary eyes. “Mother, are you alright?”

“I . . . I need to sit,” she said, a slight tremor to her voice.

Lihua obliged quickly, setting her down on the grassy portion of the path. She watched her mother with a careful eye, noticing she was breathing more heavily than someone should after a relaxed walk. Lihua rested a comforting hand on her back and simply asked when her mother would be ready to leave.

-|-

It was at times like this that Jiang Lihua truly missed her friend, Zhao Ying. Temperamental but compassionate, she always had something to say about any situation, more often than not leaving Lihua crying in laughter. She had known the daughter of Zhao Yun since childhood, and it felt odd being without her, even though it had been a year since she last saw her. Lihua sighed. Now was not the time to lament. She had enough to worry about.

After she finished freshening up, Lihua stepped out of her bathroom and was about to exit her room when something caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder, spotting a wooden crate that sat next to her bed. A light layer of dust covered the top. Lihua’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Curiosity overtaking her, she adjusted her course, heading towards the crate. Lihua knelt down in front of it, letting her fingers pick up dust as she dragged them along the intricate carvings. She remembered this crate being delivered to her several months ago, but she hadn’t bothered to open it. Curiosity now piqued, she lifted the latch and let her eyes rove over its contents.

Memories flooded through Lihua’s mind. Night raids, invasions, sparring with Zhao Ying – they all came back to her at the sight of her twin swords nestled inside. With careful hands, she curled her fingers around the hilts, strings of green silk tied around both. The weight of the blades in her hands felt familiar as she held them up in front of her. Her own reflection stared back at her, almost mournfully. There was a part of her that missed the thrill of battle. Rushing enemy bases, engaging one on one with enemy officers, even at one point nearly getting run over by a horse – some aspects of battle gave her a rush, and it even helped her work out her anger if she ever got into arguments with her brother or Zhao Ying.

Simultaneously, the swords brought on memories that reminded her of why she left in the first place. With a sigh, she began lowering the weapons back inside the crate. She couldn’t see herself drawing blood with those blades again.

Lihua’s handmaiden was standing near the doorway as she walked closer. “Yes? What is it?” she inquired.

“There is a messenger waiting for you outside, my Lady. He says it’s urgent.”

Lihua’s eyes narrowed, nonetheless she followed the other woman out. She nibbled at her bottom lip in thought. _This had better be good._


	2. STRAIN

_Jiang Lihua sat in the bedroom she shared with her brother. The tears had stopped flowing but her faced remained stained with them. The cut along her face no longer pained her as much, but the reminder would always be there. She heard the shouts of her mother as she scolded Jiang Wei, in turn hearing her brother’s quiet mumbles._

  
_Moments later, Jiang Wei stepped into the room. He portrayed no emotion, but Lihua knew just how badly a lecture from their mother could go. He sat next to her on the bed, remaining silent. She glanced over at him, what little light that was available shadowed over his face. “Did Mother tell you to apologize?” Lihua whispered, almost afraid to disturb the silence that had fallen over the house._

_Her brother nodded. “Yes. But she didn’t need to.” He paused in thought before speaking again. “I never intended to hurt you.”_

  
_“I know. We were only practicing.” Lihua’s eyebrows angled downward. “Why do you say that?” Perhaps the lecture their mother gave him was much more than a simple stern talking to. Lihua leaned down, getting a glimpse of her brother’s face. She couldn’t see well in the somewhat darkened room, although she could see how reflective Jiang Wei’s eyes had become. Just when she was about to ask what exactly their mother had told him, he gripped her arm, pulling her into a tight embrace. Lihua blinked in surprise, but accepted it nonetheless, wrapping her arms around him._

  
_“I love you, sister,” she heard her brother mumble into her ear._

_Lihua blinked in surprise, but returned the gesture and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you too, brother.”_

  
-

  
Jiang Lihua felt as though a rock had sunk to the bottom of her stomach. She had long since dismissed the messenger but the feeling of dread hung around like a bad omen. She felt as though she might vomit, but she clenched her fist, the one not holding the scroll, and squeezed it tightly, focusing on her nails digging into her palm painfully.

  
The message was from Sima Shi, the oldest son of Sima Yi. The wording was purposefully vague, but Lihua understood it clearly. Jiang Wei was stirring up trouble, the type of trouble he may not be able to come back from unscathed. Her aid was being requested to put an end to his escapades. The last part was what bothered her the most. The Sima clan didn’t strike her as the type to willingly ask for an outsider’s help. Lihua gritted her teeth. She had wanted nothing to do with war ever again – she told Jiang Wei this exactly after he had sought her out for answers. However, if she had the chance to stop her brother once and for all . . . why shouldn’t she take it? Lihua had her mind made up, but apparently so did her mother.

  
“No.”

  
Lihua swallowed an annoyed growl. “Mother, you do not understand!” She leaned across the table, hands flat on its surface. The light chirping of birds in the trees above them contradicted sharply with the thick tension between the two women. “This may be my only chance to have my brother back! To stop him from changing completely!”

  
Her mother didn’t budge, continuing to stir her tea. She gave her daughter a curious look. “I remember you telling me specifically that you would not return.” Lihua’s eyes lowered to the grass beneath her feet, her fingers tying themselves tightly together. Of course that’s what she remembers, of all things. “I forbid it.”

  
Lihua crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she looked at her mother. “You can hardly take care of yourself. What makes you think you can give me orders?” Her mother’s face suddenly went blank. Lihua’s lips immediately parted, an apology on her tongue, but she quickly bit back her words, shutting her mouth. She kept her gaze steady on the woman across from her, awaiting a response.

  
The older woman stared at her daughter for only a moment more, mulling over her words before giving a heavy sigh. “What is it that you plan to do?” she asked.

  
Lihua loosened her arms, letting them drop to her sides. “I plan to see if the word of Sima Shi rings true. There’s not much to decipher from his message, but I believe I can help.”

  
“Truly?”

  
“Yes.”

  
Her mother sipped at her tea, setting the cup back down on the table. “Then I suppose my words will have little effect on you,” she replied, a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes.

  
Lihua blinked. “You’re . . . letting me go?”

  
The other woman gave her a look. “Even if I didn’t, would that stop you?” At her daughter’s silence she chuckled. “Just as I thought.” Lihua lifted herself from the bench, already thinking about what she needed to pack before her mother spoke up. “I love both you and your brother dearly. I do not wish to see you lose yourself in your pursuit to save him.”

  
Lihua wrapped her hands around her mother’s and looked her in the eyes. “I promise you that will not happen. I am doing this for both of you."

  
The older woman squeezed her daughter’s hand. “Be well, my daughter. And take heed of your heart and mind. They may not always agree. You must know when to listen to each."

  
-

  
The sun had fallen below the horizon, leaving everything in cool darkness. Jiang Lihua stood amongst it, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly. The all too familiar weight of her twin swords sat on either side of her hips. The ribbons were still attached in hopes she would not have to use them.

  
In the silence, she waited. And she continued to wait until she heard the clopping of horse’s hooves, the sound increasing in volume as it reached closer to the gates. She straightened herself as the pair of horses came to a stop, the carriage behind them also coming to a halt. The man behind the reigns jumped down and bowed his head, Lihua reflecting that action while simultaneously seeing movement from the side of the carriage. Her eyes widened as she recognized the woman who stepped out. A wide smile spread across Lihua’s face as she made her over to her. “My sister!” she exclaimed.

  
Zhao Ying smirked. “Miss me?”

  
Lihua crushed her in a hug, her friend returning the tight embrace. Lihua could feel tears burning in the back of her eyes and she tried her hardest to reign them in. No need for tears here. She pulled away, resting her hands on Ying’s shoulders. “What are you doing here? I was not informed about you making an appearance.”

  
“I’m not surprised that was left out.” Ying gave a heavy roll of her eyes. “But that is not important. What is important is you getting to Luoyang.”

  
“Yes, of course, but . . . “ Lihua’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you not in Chang’an? Does Jiang Wei know you’re here?” She watched as Ying’s jaw stiffened, and her gaze lowered to the ground. She stepped away from her, letting Lihua’s hands fall to her sides. Her heart slowly began to sink. “What happened between you two?” Lihua whispered.

  
Ying shook her head, eyes still glued to the dirt beneath her. “We had a . . . disagreement.” She scratched her nose before shaking her head again. “It doesn’t matter. My sole purpose of being here is to send you on your way. And to watch over your mother.”

  
Lihua raised a hand over her mouth. “Are . . . are you sure? You know you don’t have to do this – ’’

  
“Yes, I know,” Ying interjected, waving her hand dismissively. “Your mother loves me. Besides, what else are sisters for?”

  
Lihua grinned. Despite the heightened tension between them when she left, Ying seemed to be back to her old self. For the most part, anyway. The humorous glint that would constantly shine in her eyes was no longer shining. Lihua’s smile faltered. “I cannot thank you enough for this. I’m sure my mother will appreciate this.”

  
“I know she will.” Ying began gently pushing Lihua in the direction of the carriage. “Now move along. You have a long trip ahead of you.”

  
Lihua obliged, but paused once she reached the door. “You will tell me about what happened with you and Jiang Wei, alright?”

  
Ying was silent a moment before sighing. “I will.” She reached around Lihua and yanked open the door. “Now go and save your brother.”


End file.
